Over your threshold: mony is your fuit; Anth. I'am as like to call thee so again, Who, if he break, thou may'st with better face Shy. Why, how you storm ? Anth. This were kindness. Shy. This kindness will I show; (4) A breed of barren Metal.) Meaning, Mony at Ufury, Mony that breeds more, as Mr. Pope explains it, Consonant to this Phrafe, the Latines explain'd Interest thus; Fanus, fætum accepti: and the Greeks call'd it τόκος: both which Expressions take in our Poet's Idea of a Breed. As for the Contradiction betwixt breed and barren, it is a poetical Beauty in which Claudian, among the Classics, particularly abounds, Be Be nominated for an equal pound Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken And say, there is much kindness in the Jew. Anth. Why, fear not, man; I will not forfeit it; Shy. O father Abraham, what these christians are! Anth. Hie thee, gentle Jew. [Exit. This Hebrew will turn christian; he grows kind. ACT II. SCENE, BELMONT. Enter Morochius, a Tawny-Moor, all in white; and three or four Followers accordingly; with Portia, M Nerissa, and her train. Flourish Cornets. MOROCHIUS. ISLIKE me not for my complexion, Bring me the faireft creature northward born, Por. In terms of choice I am not folely led By nice direction of a maiden's eyes : For my affection. Mor. Ev'n for that I thank you; That won three fields of Sultan Solyman, I would I would out-stare the sternest eyes that look, Por. You muit take your chance, In way of marriage; therefore, be advis'd. Mor. Nor will not; therefore, bring me to my chance. Por. First, forward to the temple; after dinner Your hazard shall be made. (5) So is Alcides beaten by bis Rage.] Tho' the whole Set of Editions concur in this Reading, and it pass'd wholly unsuspected by the late Learned Editor; I am very well assur'd, and, I dare say, the Readers will be so too presently, that it is corrupt at Bottom. Let us look into the Poet's Drift, and the Hiftory of the Persons mention'd in the Context. If Hercules (fays he) and Lichas were to play at Dice for the Decifion of their Superiority, Lichas, the weaker Man, might have the better Cast of the Two. But how then is Alcides beaten by his rage? The Poet means no more, than, if Lichas had the better Throw, fo might Hercules himself be beaten by Lichas. And who was He, but a poor unfortunate Servant of Hercules, that unknowingly brought his Master the envenom'd Shirt, dipt in the blood of the Centaur Neffus, and was thrown headlong into the Sea for his pains? This one Circumstance of Litbas's Quality known sufficiently afcertains the Emendation, I have substituted of page instead of rage. It is scarce requifite to hint here, it is a Point so well known, that Page has been always us'd in English to fignify any Boy-Servant: as well as what latter Times have appropriated it to, a Lady's Trainbearer. Mor. Good fortune then, Laun. SCENE changes to Venice. Enter Launcelot alone. [Cornets. [Exeunt. Certainly, my confcience will ferve me to run from this Jew my mafter. The fiend is at mine elbow, and tempts me, saying to me, Gobbo, Launcelot Gobbo, good Launcelot, or good Gobbo, or good Launcelot Gobbo, use your legs, take the start, run away. My confcience says, no; take heed, honeft Launcelot; take heed, honest Gobbo; or, as aforesaid, honest Launcelot Gobbo, do not run; scorn running with thy heels. Well, the most courageous fiend bids me pack; via! says the fiend; away! says the fiend; for the heav'ns rouse up a brave mind, says the fiend, and run. Well, my confcience, hanging about the neck of my heart, says very wisely to me, my honest friend Launcelot, being an honest man's fon, cr rather an honest woman's fon (for indeed, my father did something smack, something grow to; he had a kind of taste.)- - well, my confcience says, budge not; budge, says the fiend; budge not, fays my confcience; confcience, say I, you counsel ill; fiend, say I, you counfel ill. To be rul'd by my conscience, I should stay with the Jew my master, who, God bless the mark, is a kind of devil; and to run away from the Jew, I should be ruled by the fiend, who, saving your reverence, is the devil himself. Certainly, the Jew is the very devil incarnal; and in my confcience, my confcience is but a kind of hard confcience, to offer to counsel me to ftay with the Jew. The fiend gives the more friendly counsel; I will run, fiend, my heels are at your commandment, I will run. Enter old Gobbo, with a basket. Gob. Master young man, you, I pray you, which is the way to master Jew's? Laun. O heav'ns, this is my true begotten father, who being more than sand-blind, high gravel-blind, knows me not; I will try confufions with him. Geb. |